Steelers to Meet with Marquise Brown at NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise Brown is not going to run this week at the NFL Combine, as he’s still in a boot after foot surgery.

But Brown remained a popular interview during his time at the podium on Friday. An interesting prospect in his own right after putting up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Sooners, Brown was also asked about his quarterback, Kyler Murray, and his cousin, Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

The younger Brown, who goes by the nickname “Hollywood,” didn’t have much to say about his older cousin’s situation.

“I just wish him success and wish nothing but the best for him,” Brown said. “Mostly when we talk, he’s just motivating me, helping me deal with what I’m going through. We work out together, watch film, that’s basically it. He’s showing me how to treat my body and everyday things.”

Brown joked that he’s likely to be the higher drafted member of the family, as Antonio was selected in the sixth round and Marquise is projected to go in the first three rounds. But he said that he never considered making it to the NFL as a given, especially considering that he had to attend a junior college out of high school before getting an offer to play at Oklahoma.

Brown said that he has plans to meet with several NFL teams, including the Steelers. Some of the teams that he has already met with have asked him about his All-Pro cousin, and how much his game is like Antonio’s.

“Any time he gets the ball, he wants to score, as well,” Brown said. “I feel like in that sense, we’ve got the same kind of thinking mentality. We want the ball, to get the ball and score.”

Assuming that Antonio Brown’s trade request is eventually the met, the Steelers could definitely use another wide receiver, but would they draft another member of Brown’s family after the way the last few months have played out?

Mic Drop: Adam Zielonka of Washington Times on McFarland, Brooks

Instead of trading for a proven running back like Leonard Fournette, the Steelers simply drafted a rookie with their 4th round pick. That rookie is Anthony McFarland out of the University of Maryland. To fully explain what McFarland brings to the table, Mike Asti was joined by Adam Zielonka, who is a sports reporter for the Washington Times. Zielonka also touched Antoine Brooks, the other Maryland product drafted by the Steelers.

Click here to also watch Mike and others discuss if the Steelers should have instead traded for Leonard Fournette on Pittsburgh Sports Live.

Speaking with NBC Sport’s Mike Florio on the PFT PM podcast Tuesday, Colbert took the opportunity to clarify his suggestion.

“The reasoning was, part of it was selfish,” Colbert said. “You wanted to have a safety net because we’re dealing with less information, and the more picks you have, maybe you’ll have a little bit of a safety net again.”

With the league’s self-implemented travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, clubs were unable to conduct their normal scouting activities prior to the Draft. This included Pro Days, private workouts and in-person interviews.

Less opportunities to watch and speak with prospects results in a larger margin for error.

Colbert went on to say that it also would have benefited some of the fringe prospects in the Draft that never had the chance to showcase themselves at a Pro Day or other setting.

“The other thing was it would give the marginal player that didn’t get his opportunity to go to a Pro Day and to perform. Maybe there will be more players drafted and then those players will then again have the chance they might not get.”

Now without rookie minicamps, the challenges are mounting for clubs and NFL hopefuls.

“Every year a team might stumble upon a tryout player,” Colbert said. “Maybe if we ever get on the field, we can think of a way to help those because there’s a big group of players that aren’t getting opportunities because of the situation.”

Colbert reminded Florio that the Steelers discovered Devlin “Duck” Hodges as a tryout in camp last year.

It is unclear when teams will be allowed to return to the practice field for their offseason programs, with clubs currently conducting theirs entirely from home.

Mic Drop: NFL Draft Recap Show

It was eat, sleep, draft coverage, repeat for Mike Asti and the Steelers Now crew this past week. And now that the draft is over, Mike Asti evaluates each pick and gives his thoughts on some moves he says the Steelers should have made.